Data driven shrinkage compensation

ABSTRACT

A method for using data driven shrinkage compensation to fabricate an object using an additive manufacturing process includes predicting one or more dimensional changes in one or more directional strands disposed between facets of one or more respective predetermined facet pairs as a result of the fabrication of an object using an additive manufacturing process based on a shape shrinkage model. The object is modeled from a file and includes one or more dimensions calculated from the one or more directional strands. The method further includes correcting coordinate data of at least one facet of the one or more predetermined facet pairs to compensate for the one or more predicted dimensional changes in the one or more directional strands.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to information processing and,in particular, to data driven shrinkage compensation.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing,has attracted considerable interest in the past few years. In contrastto the material removal processes of traditional machining, the 3Dprinting adds material layer by layer to construct 3D objects.

When fabricating a 3D object using a 3D printer, the process involvesvarious disturbances that can cause dimensional errors. In order toreduce the dimensional errors, a 3D printer maker provides a guidance tomodify the 3D shape uniformly, or technical experts often modify theshapes of the 3D CAD model based on their experiments and intuitions.However, the dimensional errors in the 3D printed object are notuniform. When the 3D shape is complicated, even experts are no longerable to correct the shape.

Thus, there is a need for an automatic shape modification method tocompensate the dimensional errors in 3D printed objects.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present principles, a method is providedfor data driven shrinkage compensation. The method includes subdividing,by a polygon subdivider, polygons in a three-dimensional file intofacets. The method further includes calculating, by an axis dimensioncalculator, dimensions of an object in the three-dimensional file froman x-directional strand disposed between two facets of a firstpredetermined facet pair, a y-directional strand disposed between twofacets of second predetermined facet pair, and a z-directional stranddisposed between two facets of a third predetermined facet pair. Theobject is formed from at least some of the polygons. The method alsoincludes predicting, by a dimension change predictor, dimensionalchanges in the x-directional strand, the y-directional strand, and thez-directional strand based on a shape shrinkage model. The methodadditionally includes correcting, by a dimension change compensator,x-coordinate data, y-coordinate data, and z-coordinate data of at leastone facet of the predetermined facet pairs to compensate for thedimensional changes in the x-directional strand, the y-directionalstrand, and the z-directional strand.

According to another aspect of the present principles, a system isprovided for data driven shrinkage compensation. The system includes apolygon subdivider for subdividing polygons in a three-dimensional fileinto facets. The system further includes an axis dimension calculatorfor calculating dimensions of an object in the three-dimensional filefrom an x-directional strand disposed between two facets of a firstpredetermined facet pair, a y-directional strand disposed between twofacets of second predetermined facet pair, and a z-directional stranddisposed between two facets of a third predetermined facet pair. Theobject is formed from at least some of the polygons. The system alsoincludes a dimension change predictor for predicting dimensional changesin the x-directional strand, the y-directional strand, and thez-directional strand based on a shape shrinkage model. The systemadditionally includes a dimension change compensator for correctingx-coordinate data, y-coordinate data, and z-coordinate data of at leastone facet of the predetermined facet pairs to compensate for thedimensional changes in the x-directional strand, the y-directionalstrand, and the z-directional strand.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method isprovided for data driven shrinkage compensation. The method includescalculating, by at least one processor operatively coupled to a memory,one or more dimensions of an object modeled in a file from one or moredirectional strands disposed between facets of one or more respectivepredetermined facet pairs. The method further includes predicting, bythe processor, dimensional changes in the one or more directionalstrands as a result of the fabrication of the object using an additivemanufacturing process based on a shape shrinkage model. The methodfurther includes correcting, by the processor, coordinate data of atleast one facet of the one or more predetermined facet pairs tocompensate for the one or more predicted dimensional changes in the oneor more directional strands.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a system isprovided for data driven shrinkage compensation. The system includes amemory device having program instructions stored thereon, and at leastone processor operatively coupled to the memory device. The processor isconfigured to execute program instructions stored on the memory deviceto calculate one or more dimensions of an object in a file from one ormore directional strands disposed between facets of one or morerespective predetermined facet pairs, predict dimensional changes in theone or more directional strands as a result of the fabrication of theobject using an additive manufacturing process based on a shapeshrinkage model, and correct coordinate data of at least one facet ofthe one or more predetermined facet pairs to compensate for the one ormore dimensional changes in the one or more directional strands.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method isprovided for using data driven shrinkage compensation to fabricate anobject using an additive manufacturing process. The method includespredicting one or more dimensional changes in one or more directionalstrands disposed between facets of one or more respective predeterminedfacet pairs as a result of the fabrication of an object using anadditive manufacturing process based on a shape shrinkage model. Theobject is modeled from a file and includes one or more dimensionscalculated from the one or more directional strands. The method furtherincludes correcting coordinate data of at least one facet of the one ormore predetermined facet pairs to compensate for the one or morepredicted dimensional changes in the one or more directional strands.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a system isprovided for using data driven shrinkage compensation to fabricate anobject using an additive manufacturing process. The system includes amemory device having program instructions stored thereon, and at leastone processor device operatively coupled to the memory device. The atleast one processor device is configured to execute program instructionsstored on the memory device to predict one or more dimensional changesin one or more directional strands disposed between facets of one ormore respective predetermined facet pairs as a result of the fabricationof an object using an additive manufacturing process based on a shapeshrinkage model. The object is modeled from a file and includes one ormore dimensions calculated from the one or more directional strands. Theat least one processor device is further configured to execute programinstructions stored on the memory device to correct coordinate data ofat least one facet of the one or more predetermined facet pairs tocompensate for the one or more predicted dimensional changes in the oneor more directional strands.

These and other features and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof,which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The disclosure will provide details in the following description ofpreferred embodiments with reference to the following figures wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary processing system 100 to which the presentprinciples may be applied, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent principles;

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary system 200 for data driven shrinkagecompensation, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentprinciples; and

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary method 300 for data driven shrinkagecompensation, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentprinciples;

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary method 400 for building a shrinkage model, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present principles;

FIG. 5 further shows steps 310 of method 300 of FIG. 3, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present principles;

FIG. 6 further shows step 315 of method 300 of FIG. 3, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present principles;

FIG. 7 further shows step 325 of method 300 of FIG. 3, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present principles;

FIG. 8 further shows step 340 of method 300 of FIG. 3, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present principles;

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary cloud computing node 910, in accordance withan embodiment of the present principles;

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary cloud computing environment 1050, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present principles; and

FIG. 11 shows exemplary abstraction model layers, in accordance with anembodiment of the present principles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present principles are directed to data driven shrinkagecompensation.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary processing system 100 to which the presentprinciples may be applied, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent principles. The processing system 100 includes at least oneprocessor (CPU) 104 operatively coupled to other components via a systembus 102. A cache 106, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 108, a Random AccessMemory (RAM) 110, an input/output (I/O) adapter 120, a sound adapter130, a network adapter 140, a user interface adapter 150, and a displayadapter 160, are operatively coupled to the system bus 102.

A first storage device 122 and a second storage device 124 areoperatively coupled to system bus 102 by the I/O adapter 120. Thestorage devices 122 and 124 can be any of a disk storage device (e.g., amagnetic or optical disk storage device), a solid state magnetic device,and so forth. The storage devices 122 and 124 can be the same type ofstorage device or different types of storage devices.

A speaker 132 is operatively coupled to system bus 102 by the soundadapter 130. A transceiver 142 is operatively coupled to system bus 102by network adapter 140. A display device 162 is operatively coupled tosystem bus 102 by display adapter 160.

A first user input device 152, a second user input device 154, and athird user input device 156 are operatively coupled to system bus 102 byuser interface adapter 150. The user input devices 152, 154, and 156 canbe any of a keyboard, a mouse, a keypad, an image capture device, amotion sensing device, a microphone, a device incorporating thefunctionality of at least two of the preceding devices, and so forth. Ofcourse, other types of input devices can also be used, while maintainingthe spirit of the present principles. The user input devices 152, 154,and 156 can be the same type of user input device or different types ofuser input devices. The user input devices 152, 154, and 156 are used toinput and output information to and from system 100.

Of course, the processing system 100 may also include other elements(not shown), as readily contemplated by one of skill in the art, as wellas omit certain elements. For example, various other input devicesand/or output devices can be included in processing system 100,depending upon the particular implementation of the same, as readilyunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, varioustypes of wireless and/or wired input and/or output devices can be used.Moreover, additional processors, controllers, memories, and so forth, invarious configurations can also be utilized as readily appreciated byone of ordinary skill in the art. These and other variations of theprocessing system 100 are readily contemplated by one of ordinary skillin the art given the teachings of the present principles providedherein.

Moreover, it is to be appreciated that system 200 described below withrespect to FIG. 2 is a system for implementing respective embodiments ofthe present principles. Part or all of processing system 100 may beimplemented in one or more of the elements of system 200.

Further, it is to be appreciated that processing system 100 may performat least part of the method described herein including, for example, atleast part of method 300 of FIG. 3 and/or at least part of method 400 ofFIG. 4. Similarly, part or all of system 200 may be used to perform atleast part of method 300 of FIG. 3 and/or at least part of method 400 ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary system 200 for data driven shrinkagecompensation, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentprinciples.

The system 200 includes a polygon subdivider 210, a polygon labeler 220,a sampler 230, a memory 240, an axis dimension calculator 250, a shapeshrinkage model generator 260, a dimension change predictor 270, adimension change compensator 280, a three-dimensional printer 281, and athree-dimensional scanner 282.

The polygon subdivider 210 subdivides polygons in a 3D model file toincrease resolution. The 3D model can be, for example, inSTereoLithography (STL) format, Additive Manufacturing File (AMF)format, and so forth.

The polygon labeler 220 numbers each polygon (facet) and polygonvertices. The same number is assigned to the same coordinate ofvertices. The step makes the 3D model modification more efficient.

The sampler 230 sets sampling points on the polygons, and performssampling of the polygons using the sampling points. In an embodiment, inorder to set the sampling points automatically, the ray intersectionalgorithm or the point-in-polygon algorithm can be used. Of course,other sampling approaches can also be used, while maintaining the spiritof the present principles.

The memory 240 stores the polygon number to which each sample pointbelongs.

The axis dimension calculator 250 calculates the dimensions of thex-direction (x-strand), the y-direction (y-strand), and the z-direction(z-strand). In an embodiment, the x-direction (x-strand) is calculatedfrom opposing sampling points with the same z-coordinate andy-coordinate, the y-direction (y-strand) is calculated from opposingsampling points with the same x-coordinate and z-coordinate, and thez-direction (z-strand) is calculated from opposing sampling points withthe same x-coordinate and y-coordinate.

The shape shrinkage model generator 260 generates and/or otherwisederives a shape shrinkage model from a test artifact. Preferably, thetest artifact has rich shape variations.

The dimension change predictor 270 predicts, using the shape shrinkagemodel, the length change of each strand when the object is printed witha 3D printer.

The dimension change compensator 280 compensates for changes in theshape. In an embodiment, for example, the vertices of polygons are movedso that the length change of strands is compensated. While shownseparate from 3D printer 281, in an embodiment, the dimension changecompensator 280 is included in the 3D printer.

The three-dimensional printer 281 prints out objects that have beencompensated and test artifacts used to build the shape shrinkage model.

The three-dimensional scanner 282 scans objects and test artifacts. Forexample, a test artifact can be scanned in order to generate the shapeshrinkage model from the scanned dimensions.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the elements thereof areinterconnected by a bus/network(s) 201. However, in other embodiments,other types of connections can also be used. Moreover, in an embodiment,at least one of the elements of system 200 is processor-based. Further,while one or more elements may be shown as separate elements, in otherembodiments, these elements can be combined as one element. The converseis also applicable, where while one or more elements may be part ofanother element, in other embodiments, the one or more elements may beimplemented as standalone elements. These and other variations of theelements of system 200 are readily determined by one of ordinary skillin the art, given the teachings of the present principles providedherein, while maintaining the spirit of the present principles.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary method 300 for data driven shrinkagecompensation, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentprinciples.

At step 305, subdivide polygons in a 3D model file to increaseresolution.

At step 310, number each polygon (facet) and polygon vertices. The samenumber is assigned to the same coordinate of vertices. The step makesthe 3D model modification more efficient.

At step 315, set sampling points on the polygons.

At step 320, record the polygon number to which each sample pointbelongs.

At step 325, calculate the dimensions of the x-direction (x-strand) fromopposing sampling points with the same z-coordinate and y-coordinate.Similarly, calculate the dimensions of the y-direction (y-strand) andthe z-direction (z-strand).

At step 330, derive a shape shrinkage model from a test artifact.

At step 335, predict, using the shape shrinkage model, the length changeof each strand when the object is printed with a 3D printer.

At step 340, compensate for shrinkage based on the predicted length ofchange (per step 335). For example, move the vertices of polygons sothat the length change of strands are compensated.

In an embodiment, the polygons which belong to both ends of the strandare identified. When it is predicted that the length of the strandshrinks Lc mm, each polygon moves Lc/2 mm so that the shrinkage of thestrand is compensated.

While Lc/2 was used as an example, it is to be appreciated that thepresent principles are not limited to the same. For example, in anembodiment, movements of (Lc/3 and 2Lc/3), and so forth can also be usedin accordance with the teachings of the present principles, whilemaintaining the spirit of the present principles. Thus, in the precedingcase, one polygon is moved LC/3 and the other polygon is moved 2LC/3. Inother embodiments, other values can be used.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary method 400 for building a shrinkage model, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present principles.

At step 405, prepare a 3D model file of the test artifact.

At step 410, set sampling points on the polygons of the test artifact(with the same procedure as in method 300).

At step 415, print out the test artifact by a 3D printer.

At step 420, acquire the dimensions of the 3D printed test artifact aspoint-cloud-data. In an embodiment, the dimensions are acquired using acommercially available 3D scanning system.

At step 425, find detailed errors of the 3D printed object's dimensionsby matching the 3D model data with the point-cloud-date. In anembodiment, step 425 can be performed using CAT software.

At step 430, calculate strands of the 3D model of the test artifact andstrands of the 3D printed test artifact as in method 300.

At step 435, generate the shrinkage model from the change of strandlength between the 3D model of the test artifact and the actualmeasurement of the 3D printed test artifact.

In an embodiment, the shrinkage model can be built using anymathematical shrinkage prediction method including, but not limited to,kernel regression, neural network, and deep learning. The accuracy ofthe shrinkage model may be made more precise by adding more datasets.

FIG. 5 further shows steps 310 of method 300 of FIG. 3, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present principles. Each facet (Facet 1, Facet2) of a polygon 500 as shown on the left side is labeled with a facetnumber and vertice numbers as shown on the right side. In particular,the letter “F” followed by an integer (i.e., F1, F2) denotes a facetnumber, and the letter “v” followed by an integer (i.e., v6, v7, v8, v9)denotes a vertice number.

FIG. 6 further shows step 315 of method 300 of FIG. 3, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present principles.

The left side of FIG. 6 shows a ray intersection method 651 for settingsampling points, and the right side of FIG. 6 shows a point-in-polygonmethod 652 for setting sampling points.

In the ray intersection method 651, the origin of a ray 699 is set. Apoint at the intersection of the ray 699 with a polygon is recorded.Here, the ray 699 intersects polygon 601 at intersection (A) andintersects polygon 602 at intersection (B). Thus, intersection (A) andintersection (B) are used as sampling points. In the ray intersectionmethod 651, the origin of a ray 699 is set, and then the ray isprojected in parallel to and along the x-direction, the y-direction, andthe x-direction.

In the point-in-polygon method 652, sample point candidates aredistributed in the 3D model. Then sample points in the polygons arechosen.

FIG. 7 further shows step 325 of method 300 of FIG. 3, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present principles.

For the length of the X direction, an x-strand 701 having a samey-coordinate and z-coordinate is used. The x-strand 701 starts from apoint on the left face 711 of the cube and ends on a point on the rightface 712 of the cube, where both points have the same y-coordinate andz-coordinate. For the length of the Y direction, a y-strand 702 having asame x-coordinate and z-coordinate is used. The y-strand 702 starts froma point on the front face 721 of the cube and ends on a point on theback face 722 of the cube, where both points have the same x-coordinateand z-coordinate. For the length of the Z direction, a z-strand 703having a same x-coordinate and y-coordinate is used. The x-strand 703starts from a point on the bottom face 731 of the cube and ends on apoint on the top face 732 of the cube, where both points have the samex-coordinate and y-coordinate.

FIG. 8 further shows step 340 of method 300 of FIG. 3, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present principles. The top-most pair ofpolygons are from the 3D model, the middle pair of polygons are from the3D printed object, and the bottom-most pair of polygons are theshrinkage compensated polygons from the 3d model. The example of FIG. 8relates to the case where the polygons 801 and 802 which belong to bothends of the strand are identified, and for a prediction that the lengthof the strand shrinks Lc mm, each polygon 801 and 802 moves Lc/2 mm sothat the shrinkage of the strand is compensated. Sampling point 891 ison polygon 801 and sampling point 892 is on polygon 802.

Again it is noted that while Lc/2 was used as an example, the presentprinciples are not limited to the same. For example, in an embodiment,movements of Lc/3, 2Lc/3, and so forth can also be used in accordancewith the teachings of the present principles, while maintaining thespirit of the present principles.

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). Theconsumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructureincluding network, servers, operating systems, storage, or evenindividual application capabilities, with the possible exception oflimited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for loadbalancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode 910 is shown. Cloud computing node 910 is only one example of asuitable cloud computing node and is not intended to suggest anylimitation as to the scope of use or functionality of embodiments of theinvention described herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 910 iscapable of being implemented and/or performing any of the functionalityset forth hereinabove.

In cloud computing node 910 there is a computer system/server 912, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 912 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 912 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 912 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 9, computer system/server 912 in cloud computing node910 is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 912 may include, but are notlimited to, one or more processors or processing units 916, a systemmemory 928, and a bus 918 that couples various system componentsincluding system memory 928 to processor 916.

Bus 918 represents one or more of any of several types of busstructures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus usingany of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and notlimitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture(ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA)bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, andPeripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 912 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 912, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 928 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 930 and/or cachememory 932. Computer system/server 912 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 934 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 918 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 928 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 940, having a set (at least one) of program modules 942,may be stored in memory 928 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 942 generally carry out the functionsand/or methodologies of embodiments of the invention as describedherein.

Computer system/server 912 may also communicate with one or moreexternal devices 914 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display924, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to interact withcomputer system/server 912; and/or any devices (e.g., network card,modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server 912 to communicate withone or more other computing devices. Such communication can occur viaInput/Output (I/O) interfaces 922. Still yet, computer system/server 912can communicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 920. As depicted, network adapter 920communicates with the other components of computer system/server 912 viabus 918. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 912. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, data archival storage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 10, illustrative cloud computing environment 1050is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 1050 comprises one ormore cloud computing nodes 1010 with which local computing devices usedby cloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant(PDA) or cellular telephone 1054A, desktop computer 1054B, laptopcomputer 1054C, and/or automobile computer system 1054N may communicate.Nodes 1010 may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (notshown) physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such asPrivate, Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove,or a combination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 1050to offer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for whicha cloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a localcomputing device. It is understood that the types of computing devices1054A-N shown in FIG. 10 are intended to be illustrative only and thatcomputing nodes 1010 and cloud computing environment 1050 cancommunicate with any type of computerized device over any type ofnetwork and/or network addressable connection (e.g., using a webbrowser).

Referring now to FIG. 11, a set of functional abstraction layersprovided by cloud computing environment 1050 (FIG. 10) is shown. Itshould be understood in advance that the components, layers, andfunctions shown in FIG. 11 are intended to be illustrative only andembodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As depicted, thefollowing layers and corresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 1160 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include mainframes, in oneexample IBM® zSeries® systems; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)architecture based servers, in one example IBM pSeries® systems; IBMxSeries® systems; IBM BladeCenter® systems; storage devices; networksand networking components. Examples of software components includenetwork application server software, in one example IBM WebSphere®application server software; and database software, in one example IBMDB2® database software. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter,WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International Business MachinesCorporation registered in many jurisdictions worldwide).

Virtualization layer 1162 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 1164 may provide the functionsdescribed below. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricingprovide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 1166 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; transactionprocessing; and data driven shrinkage compensation.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like,and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” ofthe present principles, as well as other variations thereof, means thata particular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the present principles. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” or “in an embodiment”, as well any other variations,appearing in various places throughout the specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

It is to be appreciated that the use of any of the following “/”,“and/or”, and “at least one of”, for example, in the cases of “A/B”, “Aand/or B” and “at least one of A and B”, is intended to encompass theselection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of thesecond listed option (B) only, or the selection of both options (A andB). As a further example, in the cases of “A, B, and/or C” and “at leastone of A, B, and C”, such phrasing is intended to encompass theselection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of thesecond listed option (B) only, or the selection of the third listedoption (C) only, or the selection of the first and the second listedoptions (A and B) only, or the selection of the first and third listedoptions (A and C) only, or the selection of the second and third listedoptions (B and C) only, or the selection of all three options (A and Band C). This may be extended, as readily apparent by one of ordinaryskill in this and related arts, for as many items listed.

Having described preferred embodiments of a system and method (which areintended to be illustrative and not limiting), it is noted thatmodifications and variations can be made by persons skilled in the artin light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood thatchanges may be made in the particular embodiments disclosed which arewithin the scope of the invention as outlined by the appended claims.Having thus described aspects of the invention, with the details andparticularity required by the patent laws, what is claimed and desiredprotected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for using data driven shrinkagecompensation to fabricate an object using an additive manufacturingprocess, the method comprising: generating a test artifact using anadditive manufacturing device; deriving a shape shrinkage model from thetest artifact; predicting one or more dimensional changes in one or moredirectional strands disposed between facets of one or more respectivepredetermined facet pairs as a result of the fabrication of an objectusing an additive manufacturing process based on the shape shrinkagemodel, the object being modeled from a file and including one or moredimensions calculated from the one or more directional strands; andcorrecting coordinate data of at least one facet of the one or morepredetermined facet pairs to compensate for the one or more predicteddimensional changes in the one or more directional strands.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein correcting the coordinate data includescorrecting the coordinate data of both facets of at least one of the oneor more predetermined facet pairs.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereincorrecting the coordinate data equally moves, by one half of adimensional change, each of the facets of the at least one of the one ormore predetermined facet pairs.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising subdividing polygons in the file into the facets, the objectbeing formed from at least some of the polygons.
 5. The method of claim4, wherein subdividing the polygons in the file into the facets furthersubdivides the polygons into vertices, and wherein the method furtherincludes: numbering each of the facets; and numbering the vertices ofeach of the facets such that a same respective number is assigned to asame respective coordinate of vertices.
 6. The method of claim 5,further comprising: setting sampling points on the polygons; associatinga facet number of a given facet with the coordinate data of a samplingpoint included in the given facet.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein theone or more directional strands are each calculated from a respectivepair of opposing sampling points.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein: theone or more dimensions include first, second and third dimensions; theone or more directional strands include a first directional strand, asecond directional strand and a third directional strand; the coordinatedata includes first coordinate data, second coordinate data and thirdcoordinate data; and a length of the first directional strand iscalculated from the respective pair of opposing sampling points with asame second coordinate and third coordinate, a length of the seconddirectional strand is calculated from the respective pair of opposingsampling points with a first coordinate and third coordinate, and alength of the third directional strand is calculated from the respectivepair of opposing sampling points with a same first coordinate and secondcoordinate.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the sampling points areset using a ray intersection technique or point-in-polygon technique.10. The method of claim 1, further comprising deriving the shapeshrinkage model from a wherein the test artifact having has a pluralityof shape variations.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the shapeshrinkage model is derived using at least one of a kernel regressiontechnique, a neural network, and a deep learning technique.
 12. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the additive manufacturing device is athree-dimensional printer, and wherein deriving the shape shrinkagemodel further includes: printing the test artifact using athree-dimensional printer; acquiring dimensions of the test artifact aspoint cloud data using a three-dimensional scanner; calculating, usingthe point cloud data, one or more dimensions of the test artifact fromthe one or more directional strands disposed between facets of one ormore respective predetermined facet pairs; and generating the shapeshrinkage model from dimensional changes in any of the one or moredirectional strands.
 13. A computer program product comprising acomputer readable storage medium having program instructions embodiedtherewith, the program instructions executable by a computer to causethe computer to perform a method for using data driven shrinkagecompensation to fabricate an object using an additive manufacturingprocess, the method including: generating a test artifact using anadditive manufacturing device; deriving a shape shrinkage model from thetest artifact; predicting one or more dimensional changes in one or moredirectional strands disposed between facets of one or more respectivepredetermined facet pairs as a result of the fabrication of an objectusing an additive manufacturing process based on the shape shrinkagemodel, the object being modeled from a file and including one or moredimensions calculated from the one or more directional strands; andcorrecting coordinate data of at least one facet of the one or morepredetermined facet pairs to compensate for the one or more predicteddimensional changes in the one or more directional strands.
 14. A systemfor using data driven shrinkage compensation to fabricate an objectusing an additive manufacturing process, the system comprising: a memorydevice having program code stored thereon; and at least one processordevice operatively coupled to the memory device and configured toexecute program code stored on the memory device to: generate a testartifact using an additive manufacturing device; derive a shapeshrinkage model from the test artifact; predict one or more dimensionalchanges in one or more directional strands disposed between facets ofone or more respective predetermined facet pairs as a result of thefabrication of an object using an additive manufacturing process basedon the shape shrinkage model, the object being modeled from a file andincluding one or more dimensions calculated from the one or moredirectional strands; and correct coordinate data of at least one facetof the one or more predetermined facet pairs to compensate for the oneor more predicted dimensional changes in the one or more directionalstrands.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the correction corrects thecoordinate data of both facets of at least one of the one or morepredetermined facet pairs.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein thecorrection equally moves, by one half of a dimensional change, each ofthe facets of the at least one of the one or more predetermined facetpairs.
 17. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one processordevice is further configured to execute program instructions stored onthe memory device to: subdivide polygons in the file into the facets,the object being formed from at least some of the polygons; subdividethe polygons into vertices; number each of the facets; and number thevertices of each of the facets such that a same respective number isassigned to a same respective coordinate of vertices.
 18. The system ofclaim 14, wherein: the one or more dimensions include a first dimension,a second dimension and a third dimension; the one or more directionalstrands include a first directional strand, a second directional strandand a third directional strand; the coordinate data includes firstcoordinate data, second coordinate data and third coordinate data; and alength of the first directional strand is calculated from a respectivepair of opposing sampling points with a same second coordinate and thirdcoordinate, wherein a length of the second directional strand iscalculated from a respective pair of opposing sampling points with asame first coordinate and third coordinate, and wherein a length of thethird directional strand is calculated from a respective pair ofopposing sampling points with a same first coordinate and secondcoordinate.
 19. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least oneprocessor device is further configured to execute program instructionsstored on the memory device to derive the shape shrinkage model from atest artifact having has a plurality of shape variations.
 20. The systemof claim 14, wherein the shape shrinkage model is derived using at leastone of a kernel regression technique, a neural network, and a deeplearning technique.